Authorities in Wenzhou, known as China's Jerusalem, have given Christian churches a deadline to remove prominent crosses within weeks, worshippers and an activist group said Thursday, stepping up a long-running campaign.

The nephew of lawyer and blind activist Chen Guangcheng has been released from prison after serving a three-year, three-month sentence widely seen as retribution for his uncle's daring escape from house arrest.

A Chinese activist who called on Olympic officials to reject Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Games because of human rights violations has been warned over his actions by state security, he told AFP Thursday.